04 September 2024 , 19:54
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One London borough could soon be a Lime bike-free zone after a council gave an ultimatum over scattered e-bikes.
Brent Council warned the operator Lime that hundreds of its rental bikes face removal unless it tackles safety concerns.
The recognisable lime green bicycles available for renting through an app have caused a controversy across London after they have been spotted parked across pavements.
The council said the dockless e-bikes were causing ‘havoc’ to disabled people and pedestrians in the northwest London borough where they have been ‘inconsiderately parked and abandoned,’ the BBC News reports.
A pile of e-bikes next to a pavement in London (Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images)
Now it has told Lime that it must remove the e-bikes from the borough by October 31 if the council’s conditions were not met.
These are the introduction of dedicated e-bike parking bays, in-borough resources to remove inconsiderately parked or abandoned e-bikes, a higher penalty fine plus community engagement events.
Lime reportedly operates 750 e-bikes in the borough.
Muhammed Butt, the council leader, said the situation was ‘unsustainable and leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.’